Police team leader facing 3-year prison sentence for raping subordinate

A 54-year-old former police manager on trial for the alleged sexual assault of a subordinate should be sent to prison for three years, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Thursday. The Almere man is accused of raping a woman who was his colleague when he was a team leader.

The OM said the charges are very serious on their own, and even more so considering his work on the police force and as her team leader.

The incident dates back to 2019 when the suspect and victim drove to the Hoofddorp train station after the end of their shift at the Noord-Holland police. Once at the station, the man kissed the victim in the car against her will, the prosecutor said. They then drove to a more secluded area where the rape allegedly happened.

The suspect denied the accusations against him. He also said he had not wanted a physical relationship with her. The case was then investigated by the police unit working in Midden-Nederland along with the OM there.

In court, the prosecutor said that the investigation showed the suspect had "an obsessive interest in the victim." Authorities also reviewed screenshots of WhatsApp messages where the suspect made sexual innuendos towards the victim.

The OM said that the evidence, combined with statements from other police officers and a confidential advocate, proved that the man is both guilty of rape, and abusing authority for the purpose of coercing a victim to engage in sexual behavior.